


Run, Da'len.

by dalishtrash



Series: Fragments of a Dreamer's Tale [1]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Dalish Elves, Origin Story, Pre-Dragon Age: Inquisition
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-10-08 06:50:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17381699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dalishtrash/pseuds/dalishtrash
Summary: Nemarhis was young when her clan noticed her mage abilities extended into the curse of a Dreamer. Left to find her own way, Despair and Terror followed her like tormenting brothers from beyond the Fade.





	Run, Da'len.

Her bare feet hit the forest floor, wet and urgent on the damp lichen as she darted through the trees. Nemahris knew this wasn’t  _ her _ forest. It liked to pretend it was but the paths twisted in ways that weren’t true and the lack of all other life was a sign that this place was wrong. The paths never stayed the same, the trees twisted and warped out of place when she wasn’t watching and no matter how long she stayed trapped here, the dawn never seemed to come. So she ran, as she always did, through the treacherous trees and the lying pathways. Hunted. 

The tiny elf scrambled up a outcrop and squeezed into a small opening in the rocks to catch her breath. 

_ You cannot escape, da’len. No one is here to save you. Rest your legs and come to me. Let me end your suffering. Let me help you. _

The voice pierced her skull like ice, sending shattering despair down her spine. She held her breath, pressing her small frame to the rocks. She pressed her shaking hands together, calling magic to her aid but the spell choked and spluttered, fizzling out as she tried to protect herself. The frigid voice laughed. A scattered, fractured sound that made her skin crawl with dread.

_ Oh, little one... you are lost and they all left you, but if you just let me in… _

The child felt invisible hands close around her throat, burning into her skin. She cried helplessly, grasping at the invisible force that pinned her against the stone. Her limbs grew numb and terror filled her lungs as the grip on her tightened, it was getting harder to will herself to move. The unseen hands pushed her to the ground, unable to resist its pressure and she laid there, staring at the hollow abyss that pretended to be the sky.

The cawing of ravens rang out through the air. Her mind stirred as she focused on the raven song. Nothing living was ever here. Nothing but her and the demon. Something tried to claw its way out of the frosty depth of her memory. 

_ You are lost and soon you will fade… you brother has abandoned you. Fear and Deceit goaded him. But he subdued the ravens and bade they carry him to Falon’Din. _

A terrified whisper fell from her lips, “I am not alone.”

Two white ravens dove down from the blackened sky, their bodies piercing her own and she became ignited with magic. Nemahris jerked suddenly, her back arching against the stone as warmth invaded her limbs, driving out the ice and shattering the fear.

 

* * *

 

Nemahris awoke, sweat-drenched and shivering in the twilight to the sound of her own hoarse scream.  The scene around her was familiar. The trees stood firmly in place, crickets chirped in the nearing dawn and she could hear the wind rustling in the canopy.  _ This _ was her forest.  _ This _ was real. The child was used to waking in such a state, but she had learned to tell the worlds apart.

The girl tugged her furs around her, listening to the wind whistle through the Green Dales and watched the last embers in her fire snuff to smoke.

She shivered.  Despair was still waiting, behind closed eyes. 


End file.
